Ancient Megalodon Sharks Were Longer Than School Buses and Could Eat a Killer Whale in Just 5 Bites: Study
Ancient species have always been a popular area of study for experts. The examinations showcase how far a particular species has progressed and also give a glimpse of their magnificence. In 2022, a team of experts reimagined a spectacular creature with the help of fossils, stated The Guardian. Findings regarding this examination have been published in Science Advances.
The ancient species, which is the subject of this reimagination, is the extinct Otodus megalodon. These shark ancestors roamed the oceans millions of years ago. Examinations further claim that this species was so large that it could even overshadow modern school buses.
The reconstruction was made with the aid of multiple fossils, including a rare collection of vertebrae, which have been placed in the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences (RBINS) in Brussels, Belgium, since the 1860s. The exercise included O. megalodon teeth collection present in the Vertebrate Paleontology Collection of the Florida Museum of Natural History (FLMNH) at the University of Florida. The dentition dates back to the early Pliocene and was unearthed from the Lee Creek Mine in Aurora, North Carolina, United States. Scans of modern great white sharks were used for parts for which fossils were not available.
The exercise was valuable because, before this study, estimations regarding the species' size had been a difficult pursuit for scientists. The main reason for this difficulty was that the skeleton of this creature is composed of soft cartilage. This material does not fossilize well, which implies that very few remains of this species are available worldwide. The team associated with the study brought together the rare fossils of this creature that had been uncovered until then and created a 3D model of this ancient sea monster.
The model indicated that the creature was 50ft (16m) from nose to tail. This implies that the extinct being was two to three times larger than a modern great white shark. Researchers further noted that the creature had a jaw that stretched around 2 meters wide. Experts believe that this giant predator could have devoured a killer whale-sized animal in just five bites. The team further claims that not only typical prey of the ocean world, but also other predators could have been food options for a megalodon.
The model also showcased that the creature weighed around 70 tons, which is equivalent to ten elephants. "It would be a superpredator just dominating its ecosystem," said co-author John Hutchinson, who studies the evolution of animal movement at Britain’s Royal Veterinary College. "There is nothing really matching it."
Michael Gottfried, a palaeontologist at Michigan State University who was not involved in the study, stated that such findings require a leap of imagination, as well preserved anatomy for this creature is yet to be uncovered. However, he added that the study's findings seem reasonable as they align with all the previous findings known about Megalodon sharks. The team is hopeful that the model will expand insights regarding extinct super predators, stated BBC. "Models of this nature represent a leap in knowledge of extinct super predators such as megalodon and can then be used as a basis for future reconstruction and further research," Hutchinson added.